Tex-A-Consin
coming to WaukeshaHow
a mobile smokehouse reignited a chef’s life

By BRANDON ANDEREGG - Freeman Staff

Dec. 26,
2017

Terence
Williams, left, and Todd Lewis said they are
looking forward to giving back to their community
with smoky delights steeped in passion and soul.Brandon
Anderegg/Freeman Staff

WAUKESHA
— Tex-A-Consin, a western-style mobile smokehouse and
food truck owned by Waukesha County Technical College
professor Todd Lewis and award-winning professional chef
Terence Williams, is slated to hit the streets of
Waukesha in mid-January, according to Williams.

The
food truck will offer a variety of Texas-style dishes
including smoked ribs, pulled pork, brisket, sandwiches
and of course, Wisconsin staples like burgers and brats
with the smoky-flavored twist of the Lone Star State.

But
if it’s not the rich scent of smoked and sizzled meat
that draws you in, it’s probably the interior of the
smokehouse, which is adorned in saw-blade sconces,
whips, horse reins, spurs, longhorns and other items
indicative of Texas. Take one step inside and it’s as
if you’ve been warped back in time to the life of a
cowboy in the late 1800s — when the creaking of a
wooden rocker and the howl of wind paired up with a
story about a horse too fast to catch.

The
30-foot mammoth of a smokehouse is built out of trees
and repurposed wood from a 100-year-old barn in
Michigan. So how did it get to Wisconsin? The story
behind the trailer and how the owners acquired it is
just as intriguing as Tex-A-Consin itself.

Terence Williams
said he gets goosebumps when he thinks about all
the details and how much passion the craftsman
had for the trailer. He said that he'll often go
out to it late at night and brainstorm ideas.
Brandon
Anderegg/Freeman Staff

As
it turns out, Lewis was browsing Craigslist to gauge a
fair selling price for his previous trailer when he saw
the mobile smokehouse for sale in Michigan. He shared
the post with Williams and when he saw photos he
thought, “That’s not a Johnny-jam unit, that’s a
Texas Class smokehouse,” said Williams. Within a
month, the two were on the road to Michigan with a rack
full of Wisconsin-style ribs for the owner and architect
of the trailer, who held it just for them after hearing
their story.

In
fact, giving food to others has been their motto
throughout their

whole
business venture, said Williams. He said it’s
important to know that the trailer will be available for
people to use in the community.

“Everyone
we’ve touched and everyone that’s touched us on this
project, we have served,” said Williams. “We’ve
received help, therefore we want to help others.”

For
Williams and Lewis, giving back to others is the most
important aspect of this business. This notion stems
from Lewis’ involvement with the community as a
professor but also from Williams, whose appreciation for
life and cooking knows no bounds after surviving a
stroke in 2012.

After
the stroke, he said, his life completely changed.
Williams, who had been in the restaurant and cooking
business for over 25 years, didn’t know if he would
ever cook again. He said meeting Lewis, getting the
trailer and starting Tex-A-Consin was another chance at
his passion.

“This
means something to me because my children can be
involved again and because I’m actually upright,”
said Williams. “That’s why it was such a big deal
because I never thought I would have a chance to do it
again.”